


They Met One Senior Year

by Nightwood



Category: Nightwood
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, High School, M/M, Mild Censored Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-25
Packaged: 2018-01-16 20:03:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1360030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightwood/pseuds/Nightwood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the surface, William Rosewood and Daniel Nightshade have nothing in common, save for the drama class that they both have to attend at school. They'd rather not have anything to do with each other, but the teacher who put them together for a final project says otherwise. Their opposing personalities quickly stir up way more trouble than either student had expected.</p><p>
  <em>... William's lips were soft. They tasted faintly of the same honey scent that the boy exuded and Daniel found the one-sided kiss to be quite pleasurable. When he finally let go, the first thing he received was a fist to the face. No surprise there.  ...</em>
</p><p>Setting: Modern Day America (suburbs)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unfortunate Assignment

A tall senior slunk through the halls in the manner of those who are used to shrugging through life unnoticed. His head was down and his expression boredly blank, despite the striking unique mismatch of his blue and amber eyes. Long grey sleeves covered the horizontal scars on his arms and blue jeans hung over his legs, gathering around his ankles due to their length. His dark, shoulder length hair had been gathered back into a messy bun, though he ignored the flyaways that managed to escape the hair tie. His dark green backpack hung limply over one shoulder and his hands sat burrowed in his pockets. The past few growth spurts over the years had rapidly given him muscles to be admired which had in turn placed stretch marks on his biceps and pectorals where his skin couldn't keep up with the muscles. In the mornings when he puzzled over the marks in the bathroom mirror, he would sometimes wonder at the fact that these scars weren't actually only for pregnant ladies.  
  
He turned a corner and stopped in front of a wooden door, reaching out for the scratched up silver door handle. His pale hand paused in mid-air, curiosity momentarily striking him when he noticed new abrasions on the metal surface. Someone had etched "honorificabilitudinitatibus" in very small font as a reference to something from Shakespeare. Honestly, he wasn't surprised. The word had been spreading across the school for a while now as a sort of fad.  
  
His palm covered the comedically long term as his fingers wrapped around the back of the handle and his hand pressed the knob down to open the door. The cross over the rubber threshold provided immediate sanctuary from the clamor in the echoey hallway. The relative quiet came over him as though invisible hands had reached for him and placed themselves over his ears. The sensory relief gave him enough clarity to think and to notice the throbbing behind his eyes. "I need a drink," he groaned to himself as he pressed his fingers to his temple and pressed further into the drama classroom.  
  
He was disappointed though unsurprised to see the usual posse surrounding the guy in the seat next to his own. As usual, he had to politely kick a jock out of his chair to get into his own assigned seat. He didn't speak otherwise except to respond to his name during role call.  
  
"Daniel Nightshade," the teacher read off in his usual cheerful tone.  
  
"Here."  
  
"William Rosewood," the teacher read next.  
  
The kid in the seat next to Daniel grinned and did one of those d****e bag head jerks. "Heyyy..." A soft laughter spread throughout the room and then died down again, feeding William's ego that much more.  
  
William Rosewood wasn't a jock. Sure, he was on the swim team with the rest of the water jocks, but he himself was far too cushioned to even pretend to be anything but an athletic pretty boy with a tendency towards straight A's. What baffled Daniel was the crazy amount of fan girls the senior got despite his lack of any sort of tough, manly image. _Funny how "attractive" a dweeb can get with a little bit of money,_ he muttered inwardly as he tried to ignore Rosewood's side conversations. A sudden quiet round of snickers sprung up from those interacting with the burgundy-haired boy and Daniel flinched. It gave him that familiar sinking feeling that the laughter was about _him,_ though he knew this to be more paranoia than anything else.  
  
Daniel chanced a glance towards William whose attention was focused firmly on himself. His posture was straight as usual despite how out of place it looked in a high school class. His head was held high and he talked to everyone whilst his calculating stunningly green eyes looked down his nose at them all as though he was a prince indulging a bunch of commoners. A school year of training with the swim team had lightly tanned his skin and toned the muscles on his lean body. His ears were pierced once on each lobe with simple silver studs.  
  
William's most distinct feature had to be his face whose bone structure seemed to be all angles. The cheekbones were so high that it gave his eyes a slight Asian-like slit . His thin jaw gave him a look that made him more pretty than handsome, which the females in Daniel's school always ate right up. It was quite unlike Daniel's jaw which was more strong, square and decidedly _handsome_.  
  
Daniel's attention was drawn away from his observations by the appearance of the teacher's fingers on his desk. He glanced up at Mr. Trowbridge who made eye contact with the boy and sent that obvious look of "quit zoning out" while he addressed the class. "...This project will be twenty percent of your final grade, so you'd better put some effort into this one. If you've been paying attention to the material-" As he spoke he looked down at Daniel, the worst habitual sleeper he'd had in class this year. "-then you should be able to throw this together quickly. If not then I suggest you become fast friends with Google web search these next few weeks."  
  
Lovely. Daniel laid his head down in his arms, mentally tapping out for the rest of the lecture until he heard his name.  
  
"You will be in groups of two. If you're in an even row, your partner is to your right. Odd rows, look to your left. For example, Daniel will be working with William."  
  
 _WHAT._ Daniel's head flew up from the desk, his flyaway hair strands following the movement to whip out of his face. He turned his head to count rows in the hopes that Mr. Trowbridge had made a mistake. 1, 2, 3, 4... Recount. 1, 2, 3, 4... _Damn._  
  
Working with that selfish, vain, shallow, prissy rich _snob_ would not be pleasant. William did not seem too pleased either. His expression was comparable to that of a child who was being forced to eat his broccoli before his dessert. Daniel dropped his head back down to the desk and closed his eyes again, blanking his mind and forcing himself to stop caring. He'd sleep his way through this too and take a C.


	2. Out Early

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When William pushes Daniel's buttons, the latter leaves school early.

Daniel was going to explode. If he were a cartoon right now, there'd be steam coming from his ears and his face would be red. Actually, his cheeks were getting a little bit pinkish. His fists clenched again and he gritted his teeth, trying his best to ignore it.  
  
Rich Boy Rosewood would not. Stop. Tapping. HIS PEN.  
  
The monotonous soft clinking of the fancy, state-of-the-art writing utensil had persisted through their project work time since they'd started.  
  
"Please stop," he asked for the fourth time in a row. He was surprised at the amount of calm in his voice. Yay for self-control. William looked over at Daniel as if seeing him for the first time in his life and the tapping ceased, marking the first time William actually responded to a request of Daniel's. Daniel could feel those sharp green eyes on him for a prolonged moment as Daniel tried to get back to work. Finally William turned away to also focus on the paper before him.  
  
A few moments later William's slender hand went up and Daniel cringed. There was another thing that William did persistently. He asked far too many questions than was necessary and often picked apart every task with mental tweezers. _THIS IS F***ING DRAMA CLASS, NOT BRAIN SURGERY 101,_ he wanted to shout until those pretty pierced rich boy ears bled. How hard was it to just get the work done?? Worst of all, Mr. Trowbridge ate it up and tried to encourage that damn smarty pants. At least William had enough pride to turn a cold shoulder on the teacher's friendly gestures. He had the potential to be a teacher's pet, but he was far too vain for that.  
  
Mr. Trowbridge answered William's question and then sat back down at his desk, only to rise ten minutes later to answer another. Just when Daniel thought William was done, that infernal tapping started up again.  
  
Daniel's next response didn't come from the civilized part of his brain. With some caveman-like instinct driving him he reached out towards William and grabbed up the pen, slamming it point-down into the desk. The "dura-last" technology didn't last under the force of the stab and it broke apart in Daniel's hands, shedding blood-like ink to seep between his fingers. The horrified stare on William's angular face matched the same expression on every other student in the room that had looked up towards the sudden sound. Mr. Trowbridge stood from his desk to intervene, but Daniel ignored him.  
  
"Let me see you tap the damn thing now," he growled before he stood and let the teacher escort him out of the room.  
  
The office took a little longer than usual to figure out what to do with Daniel. They normally got him in there for the lack of attention he paid in class, which earned him a few warnings and the occasional detention. But this? This was out of the ordinary. The dean ended up sending him home with a stern word and a one-day suspension.  
  
...  
  
The one thing Daniel loved about his junker car was his ability to steer and apply the brakes even after he'd shut the engine off. It seemed only old cars did that these days. When he reached the hill before his home in the local trailer park, he quieted the car with a twist of his key and rolled in silently. He parked in the sparse crabgrass "yard" next to the faded blue trailer and opened the door as silently as he could manage. The presence of the old green Harley next to his car indicated that his father was home, thus putting Daniel on high alert.  
  
The old thin metal door swung open with a soft creak. For a moment, all was still before a head cautiously moved into the room to scope out the interior of the trailer. Two bi-colored orbs scanned the area, seemingly luminescent in the dim light. They slid past the peeling wallpaper and over the crumpled newspaper on the dirty carpet, darting towards the sudden sound of a whispered sigh. Daniel tensed, his eyes landing on the limp form on the couch. His father sighed again and shifted slightly before letting out a long, loud snore. Daniel immediately relaxed.  
  
As he passed his father on the way to set down his stuff, he plucked up a bottle of beer from the six pack sitting out on the coffee table. He popped the cap off using the counter edge and took a swig, letting out a sigh of relief as the liquid caressed his tongue. Eight hours of school was killer when he couldn't sneak booze onto the premises. Getting let out early today had been a gift in disguise (and a really crappy disguise at that).  
  
He pocketed the pack of cigarettes sitting out in the open and placed the empty bottle in his dad's hand to explain the disappearance of its contents. He stuck around just long enough to empty another bottle and set it on the floor next to the couch before he forced himself to walk away from the six pack. Two beers was pushing it as it was. Three beers might arouse suspicion.  
  
Seeing how it was Friday night, Daniel knew exactly where to pass the time for a while...  
  
...  
  
Most people don't question your presence at a large gathering if you act like you belong. Especially if it's a party full of drinking college kids. Daniel got inside the house with a chummy smile and immediately grabbed two more beers for himself before heading out to the back porch. He already had a little bit of a pleasant buzz in the back of his head, but the more booze, the better. He downed his third bottle of the day before he could really relax and slow down to enjoy beer #4 which he complimented with a cigarette from the pack he'd found in the trailer. A light wind tickled his face, prompting him to pull the tie from his hair to let the breeze run through. Man, this was so much better than finishing out the day at school.  
  
"That's a good idea."  
  
Daniel took a long drag on his light before he turned his head to acknowledge the voice. It was a brunette who had seen Daniel let down his hair and was now following suit.  
  
"With this breeze, I dunno why it's taken me this long to do that anyway," she continued with a smile.  
  
Daniel smiled back, his eyes curiously looking the girl over when she looked away to work out a tangle in her hair. She was very pretty, actually. Toned arm and leg muscles suggested she was in a sport, but neon green manicured nails showed she was no tomboy. Her skin had a nice golden brown tan and her green eyes shone with a friendly glint. "You a freshman?" she asked as she leaned against the porch railing.  
  
Daniel wasn't about to let on he was a high schooler at a party with booze. He was pretty sure he could pass as a college freshman, so... "Yup. You too?"  
  
The brunette shook her head and laughed. "I'm a sophomore. You can't tell?"  
  
Daniel gave a bashful chuckle and shook his head as he joined her leaning against the railing. "Not really, but don't worry too much about it. The youthful look really suits you."  
  
The brunette laughed, this time somewhat bashfully. She thanked him, relaxing into the conversation now that Daniel had broken the last of the ice with a friendly compliment.  
  
And so Daniel's night began.


	3. Fleeting Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Daniel, the deepest trenches of depression often occur after the loftiest heights of the high.

~ _Everything that kills me makes me feel alive._ ~  
  
Daniel rolled over in an attempt to escape the rays of sun falling on his eyes. He /really/ didn't want to get up right now, what with the splitting headache he had coming on. He could tell right now that today would be a day of Advils and chain smoking to ease the pain of his wicked hangover.  
  
When the sun remained on his face he gave up and opened his eyes, blinking them groggily to observe his surroundings with blurred vision. Hm. Nice ceiling. Nice nightstand. Nice bedsheets. Nice naked girl. Oh.  
  
He sat up and looked down at the brunette, unsure if it was the same one from the party. Frankly, his memory of most of the party had been effectively drowned by the booze. He did remember the general feeling of euphoria though. To him, a party was a small injection of pleasure in the midst of a life of pain. Whatever it took to have his brief moment of happiness was what he pursued with great desperation. Alcohol... Cigarettes... Drugs... Sex. Looks like he'd found everything but drugs this time around. _Wait... That's a burnt joint on the nightstand, isn't it._  
  
Scratch that. He'd had his full dose of fleeting happiness after all; extra emphasis on the "fleeting". As he rolled out of bed, a hangover and a migraine mixed with a renewed amount of self-loathing pounded away in his head.  
  
 _Whore,_ the voices in his head chided as he located his clothes in the girl's apartment. _Drunkard,_ they scolded as he heaved up a load of bile in the bathroom. _Weak,_ they snapped as he stood over the sink and added new marks to his scarred wrists.  
  
"WORTHLESS," his father bellowed when he finally got home. "The school called to tell me about your suspension! You can't even keep your nose clean for one second, can you, you little sh**!"  
  
Daniel pressed his back against the closed door of the trailer as though he'd somehow melt right through and escape if he pressed long enough. He kept his eyes on the ground, his head turned away from the verbal beat down. Occasionally his father would toss in a bit of Spanish in between his accent-laden English left over from their days living in South America. His sunken in face was red from too much booze and he appeared daunting despite his scrawny, wasted figure.  
  
"You know, they 'ave words for people who smash pens on desks. _Psicópatas!_ PSYCHOS. I should 'ave dumped you in the mad house the moment your _mamá_ passed away, you selfish ba*****! _Dios_ knows what a burden you've become, driving me to drinking... LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU!"  
  
Daniel grunted under the sudden impact of a fist on his jaw, a light flashing over his eyes as the force knocked his head back onto the door behind him. His hands went to his face and the two began a mad scramble in search for an opening. While Daniel scrambled for an opening in the fight to flee, his father simply wanted another open path to Daniel's face. Daniel blindly threw a fist and knocked his father to the ground long enough for him to the open door and dart out. His hand slipped into his pocket as he darted through the unkempt crab grass to his car, a few curses slipping out under his breath when his shaking hands fumbled at the lock. The key finally slipped clumsily into the lock and he gave it a twist and threw open the door so quickly that the hinges protested with a tired groan. By the time he'd climbed in and shoved the key in the ignition, his father had fetched the baseball bat. Even through the walls of the car his words were loud and clear. Daniel anxiously twisted the key, panicking when the car protested sluggishly and remained dormant.  
  
"Come on, come on, _come on_!"  
  
The car still would not start. Daniel looked up just in time to dodge the object flying towards his face. The spinning bat crashed through the windshield and hit him in the shoulder. Glass cut at his face and sprinkled menacing shards over the front seats. Daniel's dad began to make his way towards the driver's seat and Daniel booked it in the opposite direction, tearing out of the passenger's side and taking off down the road.  
  
He kept running even when his father's voice was too distant to hear. He passed the borders of the trailer park and just _ran_. Ran even when his heart pounded and his lungs felt like they'd burst. He ran through his adrenaline rush and through his second wind and all the way to the edge of his limits. And then his feet gave out and his body fell on the grassy earth and his eyes fluttered closed. He felt insane. He felt conflicted. He felt so many things. He felt powerful for the running and powerless for having to run. His heart beat wildly in his chest and he felt so alive while feeling as though he'd die at the same time.  
  
But if he died, he wouldn't mind. Perhaps he _wanted_ to die.  
  
He hoped he'd die.


	4. A Whole Crapload of Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the study sessions are moved to the Rosewood abode.

William's angular face was all seduction and confidence as he leaned with his slender hand against the locker to block this girl's way. She was a freshman- easy pickins- and she was blushing profusely as she tucked a strand of deep black hair behind her ear. The cute little Asian girl was no skank, but how does one not fall for that crooning voice when it has become so practiced in the art of seduction? He murmured soft words to her and chuckled, causing her to stammer in a bewildered manner as her train of thought crashed head on into his suave voice. This was more of a pastime for William. Later, he would break the girl's heart and walk over it on his way to the next girl. But for now, he wanted to make her squirm.  
  
A familiar flash of dark hair on a tall form caught William's eye and he turned his head slightly to watch with a calculating gaze as Daniel sped past in William's periphery. Back from suspension already? He turned back to the girl and put a finger under her chin, lifting her face as his lips parted as though he might go for a kiss. "Until next time," he crooned. And then he was gone, striding down the hall and leaving the girl to get over her shock on her own.  
  
He entered drama class with a manner that suggested he expected a fanfare or at least applause. Of course, his friends were all far too common for more than a few high fives and back slaps. Close enough. He crossed the room to where Daniel sat with his chin resting on his arms on the desk and he dropped his things before taking his seat. His back remained impeccably straight as he studied the small, ink stained dent on his desk, running his delicate fingers over it once or twice before lifting away to reach for his things. He unzipped the small front pocket of his pack and briefly rummaged about before he pulled out his brand new, state of the art, dura-last clickable _PEN_. He clicked it twice and Daniel cringed.  
  
 _Head down, ignore it, head down..._ Daniel was determined to avoid losing control like that again.  
  
William grinned, relishing the strain he put on Daniel. The fight for self-control was painfully apparent in every tensed muscle. It was _hilarious_.  
  
"Hey. Nightshade. Hey Nightshade. Daniel. Danielllll..."  
  
"WHAT."  
  
"Gimme your cell phone number." *click, click*  
  
"NO."  
  
"I need to be able to contact you about the project." *clickety click*  
  
"No you don't. Trowbridge gives us in-class time."  
  
*...click...* "You don't seriously think we can finish everything in class..."  
  
Daniel lifted his head from his arms to glare at William. "Do I look like I'm joking?"  
  
"Eh, no you do not. We have to work on at least a little portion on a computer. And the library ones suck. So we'll meet up at my place."  
  
"NO."  
  
"Yes. Here's my address. Come over tonight after school." William placed a strip of paper down on Daniel's desk and waited. When Daniel did not pick it up, William looked Daniel in the eye and began to slowly slide it towards him with the kind of unwavering eye contact that drills into your face.  
  
Daniel's hand slammed down on the desk over the paper and his fingers curled, picking up the paper to shove it in his pocket.  
  
"You'd better not throw it away."  
  
"I won't, okay!"  
  
"If you throw it away I'll follow you home and use your computer instead."  
  
"WHAAAAT??"  
  
The bell rang just then and ended the conversation there. Mr. Trowbridge spent the rest of the class briefing them all on the key points of the project, so Daniel took a nap and William found a girl to play with his hair to pass the time. For fear of actually getting followed home to the trailer park (where there was no computer), Daniel kept the address and showed up at William's place an hour after school.  
  
He'd begun to feel majorly uncomfortable even before he got to Will's house. Just walking through the posh neighborhood made him feel out of place and trashy. He kept wondering if the dwellers in these grand houses were peeking through their curtains at him, sizing him up suspiciously and trying to decide whether or not to sic 911 on his a**. He straightened his posture and tried his best to look less like a lurker.

Like every other house in this area, William's home had its own unique flair that made it one of a kind. It looked like a little mini castle, what with the stone walls and the heavy front door. From its left side sprouted a circular column that he could only really describe as a tower, though it was only slightly taller than the rest of the house.  
  
Daniel rang the doorbell which proceeded to play the Big Ben tune in tones that resonated through the heavy wooden door. He waited, half-hoping that William wouldn't answer so that Daniel could get the heck outta this part of town. Just when he was getting ready to turn and leave, the door swung open.  
  
William arched a thin brow and leaned against the doorframe. "Took you long enough. What did you do, take the scenic route here and back a few times?"  
  
"Something like that." Daniel wasn't about to tell William about his busted up car. The darn thing had conveniently broke down when he tried to make his escape from his raging father. The hole in the windshield was a big setback as well. It would cost far too much to get everything replaced and fixed. Maybe he should start looking to buy another car for cheap.  
  
William backed away from the doorframe and leaned against the door, folding his arms over his chest as though he were waiting for something. Daniel stared, unsure of what to do as he stood there and pulled absently at his sleeves to keep his arms covered. William continued to wait, fidgeting uncomfortably when Daniel continued to stand. "What are you doing," he finally snapped irritably.  
  
Daniel tensed and shook his head as he held up his hands in a helpless gesture. "I dunno, what're _you_ doing??"  
  
"I'm waiting for you to walk inside, dummy, get in there!"  
  
Daniel snapped to attention and hurried inside, followed by a grumbling William. The interior of William's house was cavernous with high ceilings, tasteful chandeliers and cream colored walls. Daniel didn't know it but the deep brown furniture was made of rosewood. It was something that William Rosewood's father had insisted on having when they first moved in.  
  
"I was just heating up some quiche if you want some," William called as he walked into the large kitchen.  
  
"...Keesh?" Daniel sounded out the unfamiliar word with a puzzled frown.  
  
"Yes. Quiche. Do want some or not?"  
  
"...What's quiche?"  
  
"Excuse me?" he voiced with apparent shock, as though Daniel's ignorance had offended him. "You've never heard of _quiche_? What rock have you been living under?" Daniel shrugged and William heaved an exasperated sigh. "Come on, I'll show you."  
  
"I'm actually not hungry right now..." Daniel's words seemed to fall on deaf ears. With a sigh he followed William into the kitchen.  
  
The kitchen alone was large enough to seat a family for dinner. Everything was jumbo sized and as modern as it gets, which happened to be a great convenience for William who used the tools in the kitchen to feed his cooking hobby. Quiche took a little while to make, but he had some left over from a couple nights ago when his parents' absence had left him with the need to fill the silence with the sound of pans. He wondered when they'd be back from business, though he'd stopped asking a long time ago.  
  
He pulled the quiche from the fridge and shoved the dish in Daniel's face. "This is quiche," he declared eagerly. "It's cheese and egg and other ingredients all cooked in a pie crust. This one has spinach. And I think I threw mushrooms in there too. Eh, I dunno. It was 2 in the morning so I kinda just threw in whatever I was craving at the moment." He pulled the tin away from Daniel and popped it in the oven. "Still tastes good though. I tried it this morning when I was actually awake. It shouldn't take too long to reheat."  
  
"I'm not... hungry..."  
  
"So what were your ideas for the project? I honestly haven't the slightest clue as to where we should start."  
  
"Er, neither do I."  
  
William's pushy sociable attitude was really starting to daze Daniel. He wasn't used to getting this much individualized conversational attention for such a long period of time. He kinda just sat there while William talked, sometimes drowning Daniel in questions and other times just filling his head with statements. It was pretty overwhelming. Finally the timer rang and William shut up to retrieve the quiche.  
  
"I'm not hungry," Daniel repeated when William set a loaded plate in front of where he sat at the kitchen table.  
  
William frowned. "What? Why didn't you say so before?"  
  
Daniel blanched. Was this guy for real?  
  
William ate Daniel's piece as well as his own and Daniel wondered if that slice had always been intended for William in the first place. When William was done he led Daniel up to his bedroom where William's laptop was stashed. Daniel didn't know it, but William's green themed, tastefully organized room was kept clean by a weekly cleaning service who considered this room the bane of their existence. William could mess up his living quarters faster than anyone the maids had ever met before.  
  
William took out his silver laptop and set it on the rosewood desk before plopping down into the comfy office chair. "Soooo... Shakespeare... He should be easy enough to Google, right?"  
  
Daniel stopped oggling William's large room to arch an eyebrow at the burgundy-haired boy. "That's only a small portion of the project."  
  
"Well, it's a start, right? Hey, I lost the paper. Let me see yours so I can Google the rest while I'm at it."  
  
"I don't have it."  
  
"Maybe we can Google that too then."  
  
"I don't think it's that easy."  
  
William threw his hands into the air with exasperation. "Whadaya want from me?? I'm trying my best!"  
  
"We're screwed."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
A whole crapload of nothing was accomplished that night.


	5. Out the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a study session turns quite... tumultuous.

*Click... click... click... clickety... click...*  
  
"WILLIAM I SWEAR TO GOD."  
  
"AH! Geez, put your fist down, I didn't realize I was doing it!" William dropped his pen in surrender and eyed Daniel's poised fist warily. Slowly, it lowered back to Daniel's lap, though it remained clenched. William let out a breath and visibly deflated, slouching a bit in his disappointment. "Ugh, you'd think we would've gotten something done by our third study night," he muttered dejectedly.  
  
"Well it doesn't help that you keep cancelling for swim meets," Daniel snapped, leaning back against the wall as he sat atop the green sheets of William's bed. He folded his muscular arms over his broad chest and scowled, feeling just as frustrated as the lean boy who sat before him.  
  
"Well excuse me for having a life," William shot back.  
  
"Don't make me laugh. You're just on swim team so that you can play down the pretty boy image as much as possible," Daniel leered. At this point, below the belt jabs were fair game to Daniel. William really had it coming for the stupidity he'd been displaying throughout the time they'd reluctantly spent together.  
  
William stiffened with outrage and did not hesitate to strike back. "Pretty boy? Ha! You're not even in sports at all! Look at you! To start with, long hair isn't very manly."  
  
Daniel guffawed at William's pathetic attempt at a comeback. His father had said things hundreds of times worse to him in his lifetime. "Says the kid who dyes his hair purple," he retaliated with great gusto.  
  
"It is NOT purple! It's _burgundy_ and it's purely natural, thank you very much! Besides, burgundy hair can be manly."  
  
"Yeah? As manly as when the cheer team dressed you in drag for Halloween?" He let out another laugh as William began to splutter in aggravation. The poor kid's angular cheeks were already turning pink!  
  
"That was for charity!"  
  
"And yet you were the only guy on the swim team with eyeliner on."  
  
Something in William snapped and he let out a snarl as he pounced on Daniel and knocked him to the bed. Daniel's laughter was barely contained and the fact that he wasn't even phased angered William even more.  
  
"Listen you," he growled as he grabbed at the collar of Daniel's shirt to hoist his face threateningly close to William's, "I've had just about enough of your wise-a**, smart-mouthed jibes."  
  
Daniel took a few breaths to calm down his laughter. His hands rested over William's slender wrists in reaction to the grab at his collar. "Oh yeah? Whadaya gonna do about it, tough guy?" His voice had lowered to an amused growl. He could play the aggressive game just as easily as feisty William.  
  
William did not respond. He seemed beyond words. Daniel could smell the guy at this distance and he idly wondered how someone got to smelling so richly of honey.  
  
"You'd better let go now," Daniel warned with a sneer.  
  
William let out a cackle. "Yeah? Or what?"  
  
"Or I'll do something drastic."  
  
"Sure you will."  
  
For a moment, there was a tense silence between the two as William waited for Daniel to act and Daniel waited for William to let go. When William still didn't let go, Daniel went for it.  
  
William's lips were soft. They tasted faintly of the same honey scent that he exuded and Daniel found the one-sided kiss to be quite pleasurable. When William struggled, Daniel wrapped his arms around the weaker male and held on for just a little bit longer, determined to enjoy this method of retaliation to fullest.  
  
Finally he let go and the first thing he received was a fist to the face. No surprise there. William tried to throw another punch and Daniel quickly pushed him away. William landed on the other end of the bed with a grunt and quickly scrambled upright. His expression was a mixture of outrage and shaken shock and he was blushing profusely.  
  
Daniel let out a low chuckle as he too sat upright. " _You hit like a girl._ "  
  
William flew at him again with a shriek and Daniel bolted, leaping off of the bed like a deer and taking off down the hall. He turned into the first open bedroom he came to and ninja'd his way out the window before William could even get halfway down the hall. He dropped a fairly high height down to the cushy grass and immediately ducked in a roll to absorb the impact.  
  
William ran into the master room and made for the window, halting there to look down at the boy who had just narrowly escaped his wrath. Daniel straightened from having just rolled and turned slightly to look back up at William. For a brief space of time the dark-haired boy simply stared. And that expression... that expression on Daniel's face... William couldn't read it for the life of him.  
  
Daniel turned and trotted off, his agile legs quickly carrying him out of sight. William grasped at the window sill so viciously that his knuckles turned white, his lips cursing away Daniel's taste until the swears turned his mouth bitter.


	6. "It's Sick"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William and Daniel REALLY don't want to talk to each other anymore, but they also REALLY don't want to get an F in drama class...

Daniel stepped over William's extended foot as he walked into the drama classroom. Only an idiot falls for that trick more than once, and he was no idiot. Maybe he'd try kicking William's ankle next time. He ignored the guy as he walked towards his desk, well aware of the malice present in the glare that bored into the side of Daniel's head. He'd been getting that glare all week.  
  
He was beginning to regret that kiss.  
  
The bell rang and William took his seat next to Daniel, his whole demeanor oozing ill will until it hung around Daniel like a foul cloud. Right on schedule, the pen began to click, starting slowly and keeping in time with the seconds on the classroom clock. Daniel tuned out the noise and leaned his chin in his hand as he stared down at the ground.  
  
"...what do you think, Daniel?"  
  
Daniel looked up to find Trowbridge waiting on an answer to a question he'd missed. He gave the teacher a blank stare and shrugged. William leaned back in his seat to mutter something to his colleagues and for the first time in that class, Daniel knew for sure that the laughter was directed at him. It was not a comforting certainty. He flinched when a sudden paper landed on his desk and William snickered. Trowbridge directed a stern look in William's direction and William hushed up and sat back.  
  
"Daniel," he began as he turned his attention back to the long-haired boy slouching in his seat. "How much of the project do you and William have done? Today is a progress check, you know."  
  
Daniel was silent and William visibly deflated in his seat. Mr. Trowbridge waited patiently, determined to get a direct answer.  
  
"...Nothing." Daniel spoke softly and bristled slightly under the sudden quiet laughter that bubbled up around the room.  
  
"Nothing? That gives you an F for the day. Are you sure there's absolutely nothing?"  
  
"...Yes."  
  
As the teacher moved on to the next group, William and Daniel's eyes met in a glance of reluctant agreement. Despite recent turbulence, they both knew without a doubt that they needed to get back to work.  
  
...  
  
 _Well, this is decidedly awkward,_ Daniel thought to himself as he stood uncertainly in the middle of William's room. William sat on the bed scowling, his slender arms folded over his lean chest and his legs crossed under him. The uncomfortable silence was loud; the kind that roars in your ears and threatens to split you from the inside out. William's snappy voice abruptly burst through the quiet, causing Daniel to tense slightly as he watched the smaller male with a relatively calm expression.  
  
"What kind of a guy is okay with kissing another guy for kicks??"  
  
"It's called 'bisexuality'," Daniel replied in tolerant tone as though he were explaining this to a kindergartner.  
  
William didn't like that answer at all. "It's sick." He spat out the last word like a piece of bile and waited. He hoped Daniel would leave now. William had paid his two cents and just wanted to be rid of the guy. Maybe he could do the project on his own and turn it in with Daniel's name on it.  
  
To William's dismay, Daniel gave a nod. Instead of taking offense, he seemed to resign himself to the fact that William had this opinion. "Well alright then."  
  
And so they got to work.


	7. New Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel already isn't very comfortable with one project partner, so adding on another is just plain unfair.

In truth, William's words of malice still hurt. Even as Daniel sat in class guffawing with William about some dumb joke, the words still quietly remained in the back of his head:  
  
' _It's sick..._ '  
  
At least William hadn't felt the need to repeat himself. He seemed more focused on the project than anything else and he had finally stopped acting like Daniel might rape him at any moment.  
  
"Friendly acquaintances". That would probably be the term for what they had. Not a friendship. Just a mutual agreement to get along to get through the project. As time wore on, it had become easier to be cordial.  
  
Now was a good example of that. William leaned towards Daniel and lowered his voice. "You wanna hear another?"  
  
Daniel shrugged and gave a grin. "Sure, why not," he replied as he leaned towards William to hear better.  
  
Once again, William's thin lips parted into that same wide grin. It was the kind of contagious smile that said the wearer was having trouble containing themselves. Daniel couldn't help but grin right back. William took a breath to keep from laughing prematurely before he spoke with a smile in his voice. "Why did Sally fall off the swings?"  
  
"I dunno, why?"  
  
"Because she had no arms!"  
  
Daniel's horrified gasp was coupled with a shocked laughter. These jokes were so unusually macabre, one couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Knock knock," William voiced eagerly.  
  
Daniel gave an apprehensive look, though he continued to grin, somewhat scared of what horrible thing was going to happen to the person in this 'anti-joke'. "Who's there?"  
  
"...NOT SALLY! Pffffft, BAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA...!"  
  
Daniel snorted, allowing himself a snicker or two as William's flood gates broke and let all his pent up laughter pour forth. William looked absolutely _insane_ like this, but his buddies around him didn't seem to mind. Perhaps they were already well acquainted with his less proper side.  
  
William clammed up when Mr. Trowbridge snapped his name, though he had to clutch his sides to keep everything reined in. The teacher approached their desks and Daniel wondered if he was about to get in trouble. Fortunately, Mr. Trowbridge had other things on his mind.  
  
"Do you two know Roslynn here?" Trowbridge placed his hand on the shoulder of the girl with him as he spoke.  
  
She looked somewhat goth to Daniel, but her smile staved off that label before Daniel could properly stick it on her. Her hair was cut and styled into an inverted stack bob: short, layered, and cut to make her hairline fall diagonally so the longest was hanging just under her chin. The hair strands framing her face had been dyed a deep red. She wore grey and black skinny jeans and a tight black shirt with decorative embroidery on the front. To complete it all, her shoes were boots. She gave a small, apologetic smile and offered William a small wave. William nodded in response to the question while Daniel shook his head. "She's been sick for a while, so she needs to find a group to work with," the teacher explained. "Seeing how you two need all the help you can get..." Trowbridge left it at that and walked away.  
  
Roslynn looked a little embarrassed to be imposing. "Mono," she explained apologetically. "I shared a water bottle with my cousin..."  
   
"That's okay," William piped up, his demeanor instantly friendly towards the newcomer. Daniel inwardly cringed. Will seemed to take to pretty girls rather quickly, didn't he? Daniel decided right there that he didn't like this third wheel. He spent the rest of class staring at his shoes, those two words still ringing in his ears:  
  
' _It's sick._ '


	8. Out of the Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Daniel, William is unpredictable. A lot of the things the boy does seem to come from right out of the blue to drop on Daniel like an anvil in a cartoon.

"Is she asleep?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"All the way?"  
  
"Yes, William."  
  
"...Asleep??"  
  
"Would you cut it out, William? It's not that amazing for someone to fall asleep!"  
  
"But she fell asleep on MY bed!!" William gestured helplessly to the sleeping form on the dark green sheets. Roslynn looked quite peaceful, what with her face so relaxed and her hair splayed out like that. William seemed to be all the more agitated for her peace.  
  
"We should move her," he suggested desperately.  
  
Daniel exuded patience as he acted as the voice of reason for William. "She's already on a bed," he replied as he pulled the tie from his hair. "No point." He began fixing his hair, gathering up the flyaways and pushing them out of his face.  
  
"We should wake her up."  
  
"Alright, you do it." Daniel put the band in back in place and let it pull from his fingers with a snap.  
  
William hesitated and then shook his head. Roslynn was scary when she was cranky, and he did not want to upset her now. "Er, let's just move down to the kitchen."  
  
"Alright." Daniel gave a nod of agreement, relieved that it hadn't boiled down to him dragging the smaller male away from the tired Roslynn instead. It was much nicer when William came to these sort of solutions on his own.  
  
They gathered their things and the notes that Roslynn had helped them take and they brought it all downstairs. Daniel laid it all out on the kitchen table while William snatched at the opportunity to dive into the fridge.  
  
"If I made quiche, would you eat it?"  
  
"No. You make it far too often."  
  
"Oh. What about crepes?"  
  
"I'm not very hungry right now, William."  
  
"No way. That's a lie. You _always_ say that and you never eat!"  
  
"You make me eat all the time."  
  
"Whatever. How about tamales? Chicken? Smoothie? Lemonade?"  
  
"William, for crying out loud!"  
  
William fell silent, though his expression still intensely offered food over the brain wave frequency. Daniel could practically feel the mental list of food buzzing against his head and it was rather annoying. "Lemonade," he finally mumbled with a resigned sigh. The stubborn persistence of that guy really astounded Daniel sometimes.  
  
"I'll squeeze some right now," William exclaimed eagerly as he disappeared behind the large fridge door. Daniel cringed. He thought he'd picked something that wouldn't turn into a big project!  
  
He folded his arms over the table and rested his chin on them, his hands grasping the sleeves of his shirt to keep the scars covered. He hardly thought about the marks anymore except to continue his habits of covering them. Usually his bubbly, crazy project partner was too distracting for Daniel to have time for the darker thoughts. Daniel spent the next half hour watching William cut lemons, mess with sugar levels and get juice in his eye. At one point William actually sat down next to Daniel and blubbered about how sure he was that he was going blind. "Don't be so dramatic," Daniel replied with an eye roll. "Lemon juice doesn't blind people."  
  
Finally, William was finished. Since he seemed quite proud of his creation, Daniel hadn't the heart to refuse the cup now. He took a sip, complimented Will on his work, and then pushed the project papers towards him.  
  
"Not so fast," William protested as he walked around the table and sat on the edge in front of Daniel. "You hardly even drank any! How can you taste that much in a sip?"  
  
Daniel arched a brow up at William. "I can taste plenty in a sip," he mumbled in reply as he leaned back in his chair.  
  
William frowned. "Is there something wrong with it?" Before Daniel could react, he picked up the glass and put it to his lips. Daniel spluttered and snatched it back. "Hey! I told you it tastes fine!"  
  
"So why aren't you drinking it?" William wiped a drop of lemonade from his mouth with the back of his hand as he gave a concerned frown.  
  
"I'm drinking it, I'm drinking it!" Daniel lifted the glass to his lips and took a long swig. With a gasp for air, he lowered the cup back to chest height and sent William a pointed glare. "See??"  
  
William's frown softened. He fell silent, somewhat appeased, though he still seemed pressed to say something more as he sat on the table edge.  
  
"The lemonade tastes nice," Daniel insisted. "Whadaya want from me??"  
  
William didn't reply. He grasped the edge of the table with one hand and leaned forward. Daniel felt his heart rate skip a beat as the distance between their faces became puzzlingly close. What was William doing?  
  
And then their lips touched and Daniel practically had a heart attack. His heart leaped and pounded in his chest as William worked his lips against Daniel's mouth, his honey scent filling Daniel's senses more than ever before. Daniel was very aware of the sudden shatter of glass and he realized his lemonade had somehow slipped from his hand. The noise drew William out the moment and back to his senses and he broke away with a quiet gasp.  
  
While Daniel was trying to find his thoughts, William's nose was crinkling into a soft grimace. "I swear, Daniel," he mumbled, smacking his lips at the taste in his mouth. "You and your god d*** cigarettes!"  
  
A wave of understanding hit Daniel in the face like a rude slap. Oh. "They're calming," he defended quietly. "It's not _that_ bad..."  
  
William straightened, his cheeks tinted a light pink. "Calming, my a**," he snapped irritably, "fluffy bunnies and chocolate are calming! But smoking? Ew."  
  
Daniel could feel himself grow more self-conscious about the smoky taste in his mouth with each passing second. "I like them," he mumbled.  
  
"Whatever. I think that brought the kiss down to a 3."  
  
"A three?" Daniel was confused.  
  
"Yeah. A 3 outta 5."  
  
"Oh..." William's reaction to the kiss itself wasn't very conventional. Here he was complaining about smoking and such while Daniel was still trying to process what had just happened. Had he imagined that? If it weren't for the glass on the floor, he might've thought he had.  
  
"Hey Daniel." William suddenly appeared next to Daniel and murmured his name into Daniel's ear, causing Daniel to jump.  
  
"W-what??"  
  
"Why did the little boy cry?"  
  
"...what?"  
  
"Because he had a frog stapled to his face!" Anohter 'anti-joke'.  
  
As William busted up laughing, Daniel took the Nope Train to Screwthatville and laid his head on the table with a groan. _I give up!_  
  
William _had_ to be insane and there was no point in trying to make that boy make any sort of logical sense in Daniel's mind. The slender creature didn't fit into a nice clean category like everything else in his life. He was just William. Volatile, lively...

...And special.


	9. In the Hallway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel has grown so used to William's affections that reality's abrupt assertion in his life hits him harder than expected.

Daniel couldn't believe it. And yet, at the same time, he'd been expecting this. After all, how could he expect someone to settle exclusively for him? Especially when that someone was a heartbreaker like William.  
  
As Daniel hurried past William in the hallway, he looked the other way and pretended he did not see how close the two bodies were as William leaned back against the wall, his slender hands resting lightly on some girl's waist and pulling her close. He pretended he did not see the kiss, the one that defiled those thin, smiling lips that should've belonged to Daniel only. He swallowed the sour taste of jealousy and replaced it with bitterness. _Whatever,_ he growled inwardly as his hand gripped the strap of his backpack a little tighter. If William wanted to act like nothing happened then fine. Just fine. Like he cared.  
  
The day passed Daniel in a dreary haze and night came far too quickly. As Daniel sat on the plush brown leather couch of William's living room, he avoided William's gaze and tried his best to help Roslynn as she did all the work. The poor girl was the only one who actually paid attention in class, but she seemed alright with doing the work.  
  
"I still don't understand why we have to mention such specifics on the Renaissance," William drawled boredly as he listened to the blood rush to his head. He was laying down upside down on his couch with his legs kicked over the back and his hair dangling under the head that hung over the edge of the cushions. One leg slid to the side and draped itself over the couch's arm while he continued to blatantly make no effort to help. The way he figured, he might as well keep it real and suck honestly unlike Daniel who seemed to be in denial about it.  
  
Roslynn gave a sigh as she continued to work. She was cordial with her project partners, but only out of necessity. She could see why the teacher had dumped her with these two, but it would have been nice to be with someone who could help carry the workload. As far as she was concerned, these two were idiots. She flicked her hazel gaze towards William and tried her best to explain. "It's in the lesson overview in chapter--" Upon seeing William's flat stare, she halted in her explanation and returned to work with another sigh. William had that look again. Raised eyebrows, looking down his nose, thin lips pressed into a tolerant line. He did not give a crap which lesson the shiz was in. Why she hadn't figured that out yet was beyond him.  
  
Despite the large academic gap between them, the group was not without their moments of comic relief from the work. None of those really seemed to show up today. At least, if they did, Daniel had missed the punchline and hadn't noticed. He did notice the copious amount of food Roslynn consumed while studying. She attributed her appetite to soccer, but William didn't care about the "why". He was happy to keep dishing out the home-cooked snacks to pass the time.  
  
"Aren't your parents going to be mad about all the missing food?" Roslynn inquired at one point.  
  
William shook his head with an amused chuckle. "Nope," he responded with a lopsided half-grin. "They're gone on business so much that they never use the fridge. I have it all to myself!" William's tone of voice said this was a good thing, but his wavering posture said otherwise. Roslynn was too busy with her nose in the text book to notice, but Daniel had a perfect view of the momentary crack in Will's shell. It made sense though. Not once had Daniel seen a car in the garage besides William's own vehicle and the house was always quietly empty. It reeked slightly of the stench of abandonment, from the unused dining room to the perpetually spotless bedrooms to the coat hooks which were always empty.  
  
Roslynn continued to chat with William about food and he soon brightened once more. Right before Roslynn left she put the icing on the proverbial cake by cheerfully complimenting him on his cooking skills. As the door closed behind her William simply stood there, his expression blissfully stunned as though her words had been "you're cute" rather than "you make good food".  
  
Daniel rolled his eyes and gathered what little possessions he'd brought along, sidestepping past William to open the front door.  
  
SLAM.  
  
William's thin hand roughly pushed the door closed again and he leaned against it, his jaw fixed stubbornly. Daniel looked down at the smaller male and arched a dark eyebrow, his hand still on the knob. He considered just yanking the door back open and watching William's skin-and-bones form fly backwards, but he didn't necessarily want to hurt the guy; even though it would be only fair. An eye for an eye and such. Either way, he didn't want to stick around for longer than he had to. It was somewhat painful standing so close to William, where Daniel could see the boy's features in such detail. Those thin lips had touched someone else just today. That faint honey scent had wrapped someone else up in euphoria and carried their thoughts away from their mind. Those piercing eyes had sheared past someone _other_ person's facade and turned them to putty. Daniel was starting to feel ill just thinking about that hallway kiss. How unceremoniously William had moved on!  
  
Since the way was blocked, Daniel waited for William to speak. Man, this kid could make awkward silences like a pro. "... _What_ ," Daniel finally snapped irritably.  
  
William frowned. "You can't leave yet."  
  
"Oh yeah? And why is that?"  
  
"Because I said so."  
  
"Oh, forgive me Your Highness, I didn't realize- MPH!" Daniel's hand came off of the handle and he backed up, completely unprepared for the kiss that pressed him up back against the wall. His wide eyes darted as he tried to process the kiss in his stuttering mind. He thought- why was- but in the hallway...!  
  
"You have to stay," William gasped when he broke away, "because I want you to. I want you to stay."  
  
Daniel's surprised expression softened as William's words hit his heart. He wasn't used to that; being wanted. And despite William being an a**hole in the hallways, he couldn't deny that he wanted to be wanted more than he wanted to storm out of there to teach Will a lesson. His shoulders sagged as the fight went from him and he nodded. "Alright. I will."  
  
"How long?"  
  
"As long as you want me to."  
  
Daniel wasn't sure how to interpret William's stunned face as Daniel uncertainly stood there, but the kiss that followed said he'd done something right.


	10. Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing else to do since Roslynn isn't here to study, right?

Daniel had worn thin over the past couple of weeks. He had tried so hard to duplicate William's objective perspective of their relationship. He tried to let their passionate moments be for lust only. He tried to stay as detached from William's touch as he did at the drunken parties with the hammered females. But try as he might, he couldn't help himself. For once in his life, he'd found someone that made Daniel _feel_. Sometimes he felt too much. Sometimes it ended in blood and bandages on his wrists.  
  
Every study night that Daniel stayed late, he let William coerce him into another kiss. He would hold William and be held, attaching his emotions to the selfish prat that seemed to consider Daniel a toy. And then in school, William would tear at the heartstrings connecting them until Daniel felt weak in the knees. Take now for instance. Daniel stood in the lunch line, trying his best to ignore the group sitting at the table to his left. He chanced a glance towards William and his stomach did a sick flip. That ham just _had_ to let a girl sit in his lap. What were they even doing??  
  
Nope, nope, Daniel didn't even freaking care. He didn't need to know, he didn't want to know, and even if he knew, he would forget just as quickly.  
  
...His eyes slid back to the table anyway.  
  
...  
  
William glanced up, going for a double take when he caught Daniel staring. As usual, William couldn't really read the guy's emotionless expression. He could guess though. The girl in his lap said something that was suppose to be humorous, so he laughed, tilting back his head as his probing gaze remained on the long-haired boy standing in the lunch line. With his head thrown back, his thin lips then parted slightly and turned up at the corners in a sly grin. His green eyes shone mischievously as he lifted a single delicate finger to his lips and mouthed a "shhhhh".  
  
~ _I'll keep you my dirty little secret..._ ~  
  
That night at the Rosewood residence, Daniel wasn't really in a studying sort of mood. Neither was William, apparently.  
  
"...pfft, study?? When Roslynn isn't here? Absolutely not," William voiced with a guffaw when Daniel began to grumble. He walked further inside and let his backpack slide from his shoulders to land on its side in the middle of the floor. "We're only here so I can drop off my things before we go." He cast a lingering glance back towards Daniel before turning a corner and flitting into the next room.  
  
Daniel felt apprehension rise up in him upon learning of this change of plans. He frowned softly, turning up the levels of grouchy annoyance in his expression as he sunk back against the rosewood door behind him and slid his pale hands into his pockets. "Since when did I agree to go out gallivanting with you, Rosewood?"  
  
William appeared from behind the corner, his expression ever confident and just as secretive as usual. It was as though he and Daniel shared this eternal inside joke that William expected Daniel to telepathically pick up on at all times. "Come now, Daniel," he purred imploringly. He wore that same maddeningly coy grin that always made Daniel's heart skip whenever he saw it. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that you don't like parties." He withdrew a comb from some unseen source hidden by the wall corner and he proceeded to run it through the burgundy strands on his head.  
  
Daniel's frown remained and he uttered a soft "parties?" which earned an exasperated huff from William. The smaller male dropped his hands to his sides and gave the comb a careless toss back behind the corner before advancing towards Daniel. "Yes, Daniel, we are going to a party. Come on, keep up, man!" He stopped short of Daniel to open the coat closet. "And guess what?" His muffled voice drifted out of the closet accompanied by the rustle of cloth. He emerged a few moments later with a jacket in hand and a new glint of excitement in his eyes. "There's gonna be alcohol!"  
  
Daniel couldn't help it. William seemed so awed by the idea of liquor that Daniel just _had_ to laugh. He snorted and began to guffaw while William blushed and demanded to be let in on the joke.  
  
...  
  
"Don't try to down it all like that, dumba**, what are you doing?"  
  
William dropped the red plastic cup from his lips and glared up at Daniel. "But that's what you just did!"  
  
"Yeah, 'cause I'm not a lightweight."  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU SUGGESTING??"  
  
"Geez, calm down!" Daniel held out his hands palm outwards in surrender and let William finish his drink unchecked, though he made a mental note to take pictures if William ended up getting hammered enough.  
  
Will set down his empty cup and placed his hands on his hips to regard Daniel grouchily. "Stop being such an a**. You act like you drink this kind of stuff every day."  
  
"I do, actually."  
  
"What?? Grooooss..."  
  
Daniel gave a small growl to cover up how much the remark had actually stung. The two lingered in their own corner for a brief space of time before William dragged Daniel outside. The backyard was open and spacious with plenty of room on the grass despite the well-lit pool in the center. Daniel was surprised that no one was swimming in it, but perhaps he just had to wait a little longer for everyone's booze to kick in. As he stood there and ignored the conversations that William struck up with strangers, Daniel boredly watched the still surface of the shining water and observed the reflections it cast on the people around the pool's edge.  
  
"...Single? You? I don't believe it."  
  
Daniel was drawn away from his thoughts with a cringe as William started up the inevitable flirting. He cast a glare towards William which went unnoticed as the burgundy-haired boy's attention honed in on his quarry. Daniel was beginning to consider walking out and going home when a teetering girl stumbled towards them on her way to the pool. So he _had_ been right about the drunker party-goers going for a swim.  
  
On impulse, Daniel reached out and stopped the girl's advance towards the water, pulling her in and pressing her into a kiss. Her mouth and tongue had a rich taste of excessive amounts of various alcoholic drinks, but he didn't care. He wasn't looking for a good kiss, he was looking for a good reaction. He was not disappointed. William let out an audible gasp and forgot his conversation entirely. His expression turned from shock to quiet outrage, earning a low chuckle from Daniel whose eyes remained open and trained on William despite the kiss. He reveled in the attention he'd forcibly claimed from William, drinking it in like a fine wine and milking it for all it was worth. The girl's arms reached up to wrap around the taller boy's neck as she deepened the kiss. Daniel responded in kind and slid his hands around her waist, taking the time to explore her feminine curves before pulling her closer. She let out a noise of approval and Daniel's open eyes flashed gleefully. It was then that Daniel saw something in William snap. It was like their third study night all over again, only this time William wasn't pushing Daniel away. He was advancing _towards_ Daniel instead.  
  
Daniel expected to be pushed into the pool or slapped or yelled at. He expected abuse; _wanted_ it, in fact. He wanted William to be angry. He wanted to see that Daniel wasn't the only one who cared more than he should. He let William rip the girl out of his arms and braced for impact, sucking in a gasp when William _kissed_ him. Right on the lips. In front of _everyone_! Daniel felt himself going dizzy under the angry kiss. It was unlike anything he'd ever received from William. It expressed dominance, spoke possessiveness, and demanded obedience. It swept away all traces of the drunk girl's taste and then ended just as quickly as it had begun.  
  
Slender fingers firmly clasped around Daniel's wrist as William glared up at Daniel. "We're leaving," he growled, his expression dangerously dark. He turned and pulled the stunned Daniel past those who had stopped to stare, marching the taller male through the gate and into the driveway. He located his car on the side of the road a little ways down and practically threw Daniel into the passenger's seat. Now this... this was not the sort of anger Daniel had been expecting. He was used to his father's roaring rage. He was best at dealing with screams and attempts to cause him as much injury as was seen fit.  When William got into the driver's seat and fell into a seething silence, Daniel really didn't know what to do. He watched William start up the engine and mess with the gear shift, his hands working jerkingly at the wheel until they were out on the main road. Here his fingers stilled and held the wheel like a vice, his thin jaw clenched hard enough to make the muscles on the side of his face stand out and his posture stiffly straight. That's when it hit Daniel. William wasn't going to yell, nor would he hit nor rage. He wasn't going to abuse because he was _holding back_.  
  
Daniel didn't understand. His own father had no problem giving Daniel whatever punishment he deserved, so why not William? He turned his blue and golden gaze from the slender boy in the driver's seat and spent the remainder of the ride staring quietly out the window. Thankfully, William knew better than to offer to drop Daniel off at his home. Daniel was very stubborn about walking himself back to the trailer park. He didn't want to deal with William's reactions to his living conditions. So, as per usual, William stopped in his own neighborhood in front of his own house.  
  
William got out as Daniel reached for the doorknob, his hand halting in mid air when the lock of his door shifted with an echoey click. He looked across the seats to William to find the boy standing stoney-faced by the open car door, one slender finger pressed to the child safety lock button near the door handle. The questioning look on Daniel's face faded to complacent tolerance and he looked away, dropping his hand to his lap and waiting. He didn't see why William had to be so weird about it. He couldn't just say 'let me open the door for you'? He had to child lock it? Whatever.  
  
William rounded the front of the car and opened Daniel's door without a word. So that was it, huh? Daniel was being sent off with the silent treatment. He let out a grumpy huff and unbuckled his seatbelt before swinging his legs out of the car and standing. He sidestepped just enough to avoid the door as it swung closed before turning to try to step up onto the curb to brush past William and leave. But William's body was blocking the way, forcing Daniel to stay off of the curb and remain standing in the gutter.  
  
Daniel let out a sigh and arched an eyebrow as he folded his sleeved arms over his chest and leaned back against the car. "What," he uttered curtly.  
  
William dropped his hand back to his side as he turned his body slightly away from Daniel. His sharp green eyes pierced the ground in front of him and his thin eyebrows furrowed into a soft frown. To Daniel's surprise, he looked somewhat hurt. "I got the message," he murmured, his voice flat. "You wanted to get my attention. You wanted to make a point. So now that you have the attention you set out to claim, you can tell me:" His eyes lifted and turned to look over at Daniel. "...what the hell was that for?"  
  
Daniel frowned at William, pursing his lips and letting out a heavy breath from his nose.  "You know what that was for," he began, his teeth clenching for a moment before he let the words spill out. "Why do you think it's okay for you to go and flirt with all those f***ing girls whenever I'm _right_ there? Don't you think about how it makes _me_ feel?" he snapped, nostrils flaring. "And I meant to make that point, because you just didn't seem to get it on your own. Don't you know I _care_?! You're the one person that actually seems to tolerate me, despite how screwed up I am, and it hurts like _hell_ when you go and flirt, as if I'm NOTHING to you," the ebony-haired boy continued, his pallid face growing somewhat red with the anger.  
  
Daniel moved his arms and hung his thumbs on the belt loops of his pants, taking a deep breath to steady the anger bubbling up within his sternum. He closed those bi-coloured eyes for a short moment, before opening them to speak. "I did it so you'd know how I felt, so you'd know it isn't okay for YOU to do, not when you're with me. If you want to go on and flirt with them, go ahead, but I'm leaving if you do. I _love_ you, and I'm not sharing you with _them_ ," he growled out possessively, before the color drained from his face upon realization of what he had just uttered to William.  
  
The burgundy haired boy's face had gone from a quiet frown to a dazed expression. There was an exchange of intensified silence between the two. While Daniel stared with a look of apprehension, William stared right back as if truly seeing Daniel for the first time. When William stepped forward, Daniel couldn't bring himself to move at all. William was above eye level with Daniel now due to the fact that Daniel was still leaned back against the car and William was still slightly elevated by the curb. As his hand went to cup the side of Daniel's head, Daniel's face lifted almost on a will of its own and met William halfway. Their lips locked, this time moving slower as William led with uncharacteristic care.  
  
And like the sorry sap he knew he was, Daniel pretended he believed it. He drowned in the warmth of William's act as the voices inside him leered at the silent gilded promise he couldn't help but come crawling back to.  
  
~ _You tell a beautiful lie..._ ~


	11. Do You Ship It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret's out, but nobody at school seems to ship the strange new pairing.

All it took was one study night away from these two and they'd already undergone a drastic change. Roslynn could see it all quite clearly, for William and Daniel didn't seem to go to great lengths to hide it from her. It wasn't a great leap of the imagination to guess why they were like this, either. She'd heard the gossip. At the moment it was still trying to gather up speed, but nevertheless, the rumors were there. She'd heard about the party and the unexpected kiss.  
  
Roslynn absently tapped her pencil on her paper as she sat at William's kitchen table, watching the two with thoughtful interest. Daniel spoke to William with care, distancing his emotions from the conversation as though they were in danger of taking damage. His usual amused indifference was gone and he now trod gingerly through their interactions as though he were dancing at the edge of a cliff. His eyes remained on his work while William's probing eyes remained on Daniel, his green gaze raking over the larger male and taking in everything. It was like William was having trouble comprehending who was sitting next to him in his kitchen. He acted as though he'd just met Daniel, and perhaps this wasn't too far from the truth. Perhaps the rumored kiss had brought out something William hadn't noticed before.  
  
~ _There must be something there that wasn't there before._ ~  
  
As William watched Daniel work, a plethora of unpleasant feelings churned inside him until he almost felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't shake off what had happened the other night. He couldn't seem to shrug off the "I love you" that Daniel had so hurriedly interjected into his jealous rant. Even harder to ignore were the stares in the hallways. He could feel them like blazing points of heat against his downturned face. He could feel news of the party spreading with each mysterious loss of another one of his "friends". Even his swim team was starting to regard him with suspicion. He didn't know what to do. No matter how grouchy his declining social life made him feel, ditching Daniel no longer felt like an option. That kiss at the party had been his step across the line from feigned indifference to declared commitment into... well, whatever this was. He'd claimed Daniel as his own that night and he couldn't- wouldn't- take it back, though he hated Daniel for it almost as much as he longed for Daniel.  
  
William glanced to Roslynn and caught her staring. His eyebrows knitted together in annoyance and his lips pursed as he gave her a once over and then spoke. "Only a single page of notes? You must be having a slow day," he mumbled airily to steer Roslynn's thoughts back to the project.  
  
Roslynn seemed to come out of a thoughtful reverie and she glanced down at the paper under her nose. She smirked. "Not as slow as you."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"I didn't see you sucking face in the halls today. Heck, yesterday was the same. Losing your touch?"  
  
A look of surprise registered on Daniel's face. For the first time that night he actually looked up at the two of them for an extended period of time, eyebrows raised. Will's and Daniel's eyes met, but William quickly looked away, obviously uncomfortable.  
  
"I never lose my touch," was all he supplied in reply. He straightened his posture and gave a vain sniff, looking back to his work.  
  
"Oh? What is it then? Has swim been keeping you busy?"  
  
William bristled suddenly. "Swim team is FINE." Roslynn was taken aback. Had she known that swimming was some sort of pressure point to Will, she wouldn't have brought it up. How strange that he should turn so defensive when swimming used to be a bragging point for him. She didn't know it, but William's relationship with his swim team was becoming quite strained.  
  
The ringing of a cellphone distracted William from their conversation. With a sigh, he pulled his blackberry phone from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID before pressing a button and holding it to his ear. "Hey Dad." William stood, walking out of the room to find some privacy.  
  
"Hey William! How are you?"  
  
"Feeling kinda cruddy, actually..."  
  
"Oh really? I'm sorry to hear that, buddy! Listen, I can't talk long, I've just stepped out of a meeting to call you. Thing is, I think this trip is gonna take longer than I expected."  
  
William gave a frown of confusion. "Okay. But you're still coming home on Friday, right?"  
  
"Sorry, bud, the office has me all tied up abroad here."  
  
"I was going to make you Creme Brulee..."  
  
"Aw man, sounds delicious! Next Friday, maybe?"  
  
"Sure thing, Dad."  
  
"Gotta go!"  
  
"Bye." *Click*  
  
....*SMASH!*  
  
Daniel ran into the living room with an expression of alarm on his face. "I heard a crash, are you o-" His words abruptly stopped at the sight of William standing before his phone which lay smashed on the ground next to the wall. William's thin fingers were curled into fists which pressed against the sides of his head as though he was trying to hold himself in. The sharp angles of his face were contorted into a mixture of anger and despair.  
  
Daniel approached with caution. "What happened?"  
  
"My father cancelled again."  
  
Daniel had never heard much about William's parents, so he wasn't quite sure what to make of that statement. "...Again?"  
  
William stood there for a second, sucking in a few deep breaths and forcibly calming himself down. Then his hands dropped and he gave a quiet nod. "Yes, Daniel. Again. They've been doing this more and more often as time goes on. And you know what? I think that's it. I think... I don't think they're coming back."  
  
Daniel waited for more words, but William seemed to be finished. The green-eyed boy had taken to staring down at his phone, his expression tired and numb. He didn't move away when Daniel stepped forward, wrapping his arms around William's thin frame and holding him close. William lifted his hands, curling his fingers into the fabric of Daniel's shirt and breathing in that familiar pine scent that he always seemed to carry with him. It was then that William noticed the bruise on Daniel's collarbone, exposed by the tug of William's fingers on the shirt.  
  
"Hey," William exclaimed softly, concern clouding his voice.  
  
Daniel resisted the urge to pull away and cover the mark. William had to know sometime... "My Dad isn't very gentle," he explained quietly, turning his gaze to the wall to avoid looking at William's expression. "...So, I guess that means I have parent problems too."  
  
He flinched when he felt something warm cover the bruise. He looked down to find William with his lips to the mark, embracing it rather than abhorring it. As he pulled his face away and looked up at Daniel, William cracked a grin. "Way to one-up me," he joked.  
  
Daniel gave a laugh. "Can't let you win _all_ the pity parties, can I?"  
  
From behind the cover of the kitchen doorway, Roslynn smiled. She didn't care what anyone at school said. She shipped this so hard.


	12. William's Vice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel is worried. Will is missing from school and he won't return any of Daniel's calls. What could have happened?

During the past two days of school, Daniel had come to learn how loud a mouthless, inanimate desk can scream at you when its seat yawns open wide where William's body normally should have been. Contrarily, the phone seemed to clam the lines shut against Daniel's persistence, offering him naught but a disapproving dial tone and then taunting him with the sound of William's voicemail once more:  
  
" _I suppose this is here to tell you that you've called at a bad time. Either that or I'm just not in the mood to put up with this outdated form of interspacial communication. Texting is faster._ "  
  
Daniel's mind added William's inflectively implied "you idiot" to the end of the message as it clicked off. What a sass. In fact, Daniel was probably gonna get sassed for making such a big deal out of William's absence, now that he thought about it. "It's his own damn fault for being so aloof," Daniel growled to himself, flinching when an animated voice came on the speaker next to his ear. " _If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try aga-_ "  
  
*PAT*  
  
Daniel closed his old flip phone with as much violence as one can exert on such a simple movement. He turned, letting the phone clatter a short distance to the counter as he braced the heels of his hands over the edge and leaned back against the jutting surface. He glanced up at the sound of the bathroom door swinging open to let in the noise of passing period, promptly choosing to ignore the boy who entered. A swim jock. Daniel hadn't been getting very friendly glances from that crowd as of late. As a matter of fact, neither had William.  
  
"That's it," Daniel snapped resolutely, stepping around the confused boy and pushing into the bustle of the hallway. He was going to find William and give that selfish ba***** an earful. Daniel wasn't about to let William turn this into another game of cat and mouse, if that's what was going on here.  
  
...  
  
William's neighborhood was a new kind of quiet. No longer was his imagination able to create forms behind the curtains to look on him with a disapproving air, for every car was out of its driveway and everyone was still at work. He'd never skipped school to go to William's house like this, so this was certainly new and odd to Daniel. The empty shells of houses stood tall and abandoned, purposeless without their owners dwelling inside. Somewhere across the street Daniel heard the clang of a ringing phone clatter on, unhindered by those who would have normally tended to the caller in order to promptly silence the offensive clamor.  
  
Daniel turned a corner and stopped at the castle-like structure that he had come to know well. His eyes glazed over the grandeur, hardly noticing it now. His focus now stretched through walls and rested on what he hoped lay within the Rosewood residence. He rang the doorbell and knocked, imploring William to confirm his own existence as he stood on the front stoop and made noise. When no one answered he continued to press ever inward towards his concealed target, taking up the hidden key from the hanging planter and entering.  
  
Daniel's foot just barely missed stepping on an empty Izze can as he walked inside. William's jacket laid over the back of the living room sofa accompanied by a makeshift bed of pillows and blankets that extended outward and enveloped the coffee table. William was not there, so Daniel pressed on. He stepped into the kitchen, the first place he would expect to find William. At first Daniel thought he may have caught Will in the middle of a cooking project, but the mess of wrappers and dishes held nothing homemade. Chip bags lay half empty and candy wrappers dominated space wherever they pleased. At the edge of it all stood William with his back turned as he hunched over something on the counter.  
  
"Why the f*** didn't you answer the door?" Daniel's voice was accusing and William's actions fit the part. He gasped and swung his slender frame around to face the voice, guilt on his face as the bag of premade cookies slipped from his fingers to land on the floor. Even upon seeing Daniel, he could not seem to relax. William stood there rigid as though Daniel was a robber come to wreak havoc.  
  
"I th-thought you were the mailman," he stammered quietly in reply, ducking his face when Daniel's eyes swept over him. William's left eye was bloodshot and the surrounding skin was bruised. His jaw sported a healing scab where the skin had been scraped along a rough surface. William's generally perfectly round nails had been bit down as far as the skin would allow without bleeding and the unbruised eye sported a dark shadow of stress.  
  
Daniel realized then that William had taken to glaring at him in defiance against the horror on Daniel's face. "Whadaya want," he snapped harshly as he lifted a hand to wipe the crumbs from the corner of his mouth. He practically oozed apprehension from his very pores, pressing himself back against the counter edge as if it would somehow swallow him whole and save him from this situation. When Daniel asked the inevitable question, he flinched.  
  
"What happened!" Daniel walked further into the kitchen and approached William, reaching out a hand towards the carnage on William's face.  
  
William cringed away and struck out at him, slapping the hand away. "Don't touch me," he yelped, ducking away from Daniel's reach. "I'm fine!"  
  
"Don't even play that, Rosewood, you're NOT fine."  
  
"Why are you so keen on prying," William snapped.  
  
"Because I lo-"  
  
William's hand snapped up in a "stop" gesture as his voice diced the last of Daniel's words to pieces. "DON'T say it, I don't want to hear it!" Daniel fell silent and regarded William with comparatively more calm than his burgundy-haired boyfriend. He watched William, noting the words that seemed to churn within him before building up in his chest and breaking free as an outburst: "You're such a dunce! Don't you see what I am?" William threw his arms wide, presenting himself and his surroundings to Daniel as though Daniel should see blood on his hands and a dead body in the corner. "Look at you, you've caught me in the act and you're still looking at me as if I'm an angel with an untarnished halo. I hate you! I binge, Daniel! You caught me binge eating, alright? I hate you!"  
  
Daniel was still listening calmly as William told him what the mess in the kitchen had already told him when he first walked in. He wanted to stop William there and comfort him, but the boy obviously wouldn't have it until he was done. William's arms began to gesture desperately now and his words ran together in his anxiety. On and on he ranted, his hands slicing the air with gesture after gesture as he practically vomited all of his pent up feelings onto the floor in front of Daniel. He told Daniel how much he avoided food at times, only to turn to the tools in the kitchen.  
  
"...And then I binge," he explained with helpless anger. "I cook feasts or buy junk and I eat it all 'cause I get so hungry, Daniel, I can't stop until there's nothing left! I can't help myself, it calms me and fills me when I feel so empty and useless even though it disgusts me every time I do it. And then when it's done I make up for it, I go back to the pool and I'll stay as late as security will let me just so that I can work it all off and stay... like this!" He held up his hands and turned them about, regarding their slenderness with red-rimmed eyes. His voice grew quiet and tired as he looked them over. "Skinny... like this..."  
  
And then he cried. Daniel saw the tears coming before they even started. He could read it like a map on William's vulnerable expression. He was right there just before it began, arms extended to catch William whose legs gave out on him as he seemed to crumple from the inside out. Finally, the exterior matched the interior. Rather than holding William in a standing position, Daniel gently sank down to his knees with William, pulling the crying boy onto his lap and rocking him gently as his lips gently touched to William's forehead. They rested there as he spoke to remind William: "I still love you."  
  
...  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Does it really matter that much? I'm a klutz, you know that."  
  
"No you're not. William Rosewood does not just lose his poise and fall down a flight of stairs. Tell me."  
  
"I never said I fell down a flight of stairs."  
  
In a moment of frustration, Daniel's steady hands slammed down on the counter on either side of William, causing the smaller male to flinch. His angular face was flushed red with sheepish embarrassment, though he would not tell Daniel why he was so stubbornly hiding the cause of his injuries. As William sat stiffly on the kitchen counter, he busied his hands by reaching up to touch the bandaid that Daniel had insisted on putting over his jaw.  
  
Daniel's bi-colored gaze darted over William's face, his pleading expression laced with the faintest hint of anger. He had a good guess of who would hurt William enough to send him to binge in hiding, but he had to hear it out loud to be sure. As he leaned hovering over William his eyes flicked over the large square bandaid hugging William's jaw and he sighed, squeezing the counter's edge to quietly vent the rage. "William. _Please._ " William continued to avoid Daniel's gaze, his green eyes idling over the wrappers beside him on the counter.  
  
With that, Daniel's expression broke and his head fell forward. He felt the muscles of William's neck momentarily tense as Daniel's forehead landed on the slender shoulder and his face tucked itself away into the crook of his neck. He was silent for a moment, letting the calming scent of honey soothe him while he tried to collect himself.  
  
Daniel heard a choke. He heard the labored attempt to swallow the lump in William's throat and a slender hand came to rest on the back of his head. He waited in this position, mentally celebrating when the explanation finally came in the form of a shaky, segmented story.  
  
"A-After practice... the bathroom... they asked about... about things... they called me... things. They didn't like what I had to say... It was punishment. I should have expected this. I deserve- no, stop!" Daniel had tried to lift his head when William's words began to digress into self depreciation. He was surprised at how much force William could exert through his single hand, though Daniel could have broken free if he really wanted to. William's voice shook and Daniel could hear the tears boiling up to mingle with his words. "Don't look at me. I c-couldn't bear- I don't want to see your expression. Not after everything I've told you. Please. Don't look at me!"  
  
Daniel's heart broke for William then. He obeyed the request and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around William and pulling him close. He couldn't believe someone so seemingly vain and confident could be brought so low by the demons in his own heart. He almost didn't realize he was murmuring William's name as he kissed the smaller male's neck and held him close. He wanted William to understand how special he was! He kissed William's shoulder and then somehow found himself at William's forehead and then his neck again, placing gentle kisses everywhere as he tried to make the love sink in deep enough to reach William's aching heart.  
  
"I love you, William," Daniel insisted beseechingly as he felt William's legs wrap around his waist. _Why can't you accept my love? Why can't you let me fill the hole in your heart?_


	13. Cold Turkey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel learns that quitting alcohol "cold turkey" hurts like heck.

Daniel grunted slightly as William's sudden slam on the brakes took him by surprise.  
  
"WHADAYA MEAN ROSLYNN'S STUDYING WITH US?"  
  
Daniel, who was still quite aware of his surroundings, pointed up at the traffic light. "Green light," he mumbled quietly as he absently crossed his arms over his chest as a sort of protection against William's unexpected fury.  
  
"Answer the question!"  
  
"Green light, green light! Ahhh, William!" He grunted again as the gas pedal was pressed into the floor with a vengeance and the car rocketed into the space in front of them.  
  
After reclaiming some semblance of a secure spot on his seat, Daniel looked back to William with a frown. "I don't see why it's such a big deal." Daniel heard William scoff, but Daniel talked straight through the interruption before it could turn into words. "Finals are coming up and she wanted someone to study with."  
  
"But _I_ wanted to study with you!" Daniel tried to speak, but William interjected into the momentary silence. " _ALONE._ "  
  
Daniel watched William for a moment longer and then looked away with a huff. "Well I already said yes, so that's that." He ignored William's grunt in reply and spent the rest of the ride staring out the window as he tried to brush off the coming _headache_ that jabbed at his temples. Tonight was going to be a looong study night.  
  
...  
  
"Hand me that pencil, William."  
  
"I'm busy," came the dismissive, uncaring reply.  
  
"It's right next to you, just-- oh, nevermind!" Daniel reached across the living room floor and plucked up the pencil in question with a growl.  
  
"You're so grumpy today," William mumbled, glancing up from his paper to eye Daniel with an arched brow.  
  
"Yeah well you're not helping."  
  
Roslynn, in the meantime, had taken to focusing exclusively on her work to keep her head above the rising levels of grouchness in the room.  
  
"Hey Daniel, what's the capital of Taiwan?"  
  
"Your a**."  
  
"TAIPEI!" Roslynn's voice suddenly rose up above Daniel's response in an attempt to drown it out of William's mind. A long, tense silence followed after that in which William stared holes into Daniel's face, Daniel practically killed his paper with the force he exerted on it to write down a sentence, and Roslynn sat there in between wondering if anyone had actually heard her.  
  
"...Taipei _wishes_ it was my a**," William finally rebutted, his voice low.  
  
"Yeah? Well in that case Taipei can go f*** itself."  
  
" _Avec pleasure_ ," William replied in French. "And you're not invited."  
  
"Wasn't planning on witnessing such a grotesque event anyway."  
  
Though the words themselves made little to no sense on the surface, it was the malicious tones exchanged that was the real argument. William gave up and slammed his pencil down on his notebook, rising from the floor to storm out of the room. "I'll be in the kitchen," he snapped bitterly.   
  
The two watched the burgundy hair disappear from view behind the rise of the couch's back. Roslynn was the first to look away, turning her focus on Daniel to give him "the look".  
  
Daniel glanced to Roslynn and did a double take. "What," he snapped defensively.  
  
"That wasn't nice."  
  
"He was being a-"  
  
"That wasn't a justifiable kind of mean." She waited for a reply, but Daniel had taken to sullenly staring at the legs of the couch. "You should go apologize."  
  
Daniel glared at Roslynn for a long, drawn out moment, clearly peeved at her for choosing to be the voice of reason. Finally, with a huff and a grumble, he too rose and stormed off towards the kitchen.  
  
William was standing in front of the open fridge when Daniel entered. One slender hand held a familiar bag of premade cookies while the other absently ricocheted from his mouth to the bag and back at a smooth, rapid pace. Daniel intentionally bumped a chair to announce his presence, causing William to freeze and let the refrigerator door drift closed. He took a moment to glance back and view the intruder before turning all the way around and chucking a cookie in Daniel's general direction. Daniel couldn't help but roll his eyes after watching it hit the wall behind him.  
  
"And this is why you're not in baseball."  
  
"Shut up. It just takes a few tries."  
  
Two more cookies whizzed towards him, one brushing through the curtain of hair around his shoulders and the other smacking Daniel in the cheek. With an air of triumph, William went back to shoving cookies in his mouth. Now that Daniel knew about his habit, William had turned defiantly unsecretive about binging as though he was trying to prove something to Daniel and to himself. Oftentimes, it bothered Daniel. He didn't like being William's secondary source of comfort. He didn't like competing with a bag of chips. Most of all, he didn't like seeing William's attempts to suffer independently, as if he thought he could tough it out alone.  
  
Daniel brushed the cookie crumbs from his own face and approached William, stopping just short of him and putting his hands on his hips. "Happy?"  
  
"No. What do you want, Daniel," William mumbled as he turned back towards the fridge. As Daniel spoke, William filled the air with the sounds of bags rustling and containers bumping, as though Daniel's words could be drowned out by the comfort of the binge.  
  
"I wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to be such a prick about it and I didn't mean to insult you or anything, I just-- William, would you stop that for just one second??" Daniel's hands reached for the smaller male before him and turned him about to face Daniel. "Just hold still for one second and listen!" As he spoke, he moved a hand to William's face and wiped the crumbs from his pointed chin. Occasionally he would do something like this out of a visceral desire to somehow help William through the ugliest bits of his eating disorder, but he knew it wasn't enough. It was nowhere near enough. But binging wasn't the first thing on his mind today.  
  
"I quit drinking."  
  
"What? Since when?"  
  
"I haven't had a drop since yesterday morning."  
  
"Doesn't that hurt?" William forgot the bag in his hand and finally focused his attention on Daniel.  
  
"My head hurts."  
  
"Is this why you're so irritable today?"  
  
"Yes. Alcohol calms me and now I don't have it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because... Well because I want to get better. I thought you might like it if I didn't drink anymore."   
  
Instead of seeming touched, William was annoyed. "...You absolute _dunce_!" Daniel blanched, a hurt expression on his face. "You can't just quit booze cold turkey! You know that can kill you??"  
  
Daniel suddenly felt very small and stupid. He hardly heard William as the boy took Daniel's hand and led him to the alcohol cabinet. "Here, I have the key. Hang on a second... there we go. Take something. Wait, wait, wait, stop. That's too much. I'll help you off of booze if you really want to, but it's gotta be more controlled than that."  
  
Daniel let William pour some vodka into a shot glass, now realizing how unsteady his shaking hands had become from the lack of alcohol in his system. Daniel cast a nervous glance to William as he lifted the glass, but William understood. The burgundy-haired boy suddenly seemed to become very interested in the rosewood cabinets next him, allowing Daniel the illusion of privacy as he made communion with his vice.   
  
The empty glass clinked quietly on the counter and William gave a nod of approval, turning to the alcohol cabinet and locking away the vodka once more. "Better?"  
  
"Whoa..."  
  
William laughed. "You've never had the expensive stuff, huh? Just wait for when it _really_ takes effect. Father says it sneaks up on you and wraps you up like a blanket." William watched Daniel blink confusedly through the fast-working effects of the vodka, his smile softening. "Daniel... thank you. This whole thing about quitting... it's... sweet."  
  
William turned and reached out for the cookies again, frowning when his reach was restricted by a sudden hand on his wrist. He looked back to Daniel whose expression had suddenly hardened with resolve. "Stop it," he voiced firmly. William frowned and Daniel spoke again. "Just because I know about it doesn't mean you can do it more."  
  
William let Daniel use the grip on his wrist to redirect his body, though part of him mentally urged William to lash out against Daniel's attempts to intrude upon William's habits. Daniel pulled William away from the counter, using the smaller male's slender arm as a sort of leash to pull him closer. "Look at me." He placed his free hand behind William's head so that he could lift William's face. "No, _really_ look at me. Are you looking? I love you William. I love you more than the cookies do. Eat that whole bag and that's it, the cookies are gone. But I'm here. I'm always here. Don't you see? I can help you too. I _want_ to help you."  
  
William gave a small sniff as his lower lip trembled. Daniel's insistent expression softened at the sight of William's teary eyes. His hand moved to gently cup William's face and he lowered his head, pressing their lips together. "There," he said softly when he broke away. "Can your chips do that?"   
  
Daniel heard his name whisper its way through those soft lips and the two mouths met in another kiss, this time stronger than before. William's arms were around Daniel's neck now, pulling his head close as he let his emotions flow through the embrace. He felt the back of his body bump against the counter and Daniel's hands braced against his hips, lifting him the small distance to sit on the surface so that the two of them had something to lean against.  
  
William's voice was heavy-laden with feeling as he spoke through the kiss. Gratitude, relief, and an overall tone of happiness made its way into his voice as he spoke:  
  
"I love you too, Daniel! I love you!"  
  
No amount of vodka would ever be able to give him the same euphoria that those words did that night. Never again would anything sound so sweet to his ears as William's first "I love you".  
  
...  
  
William and Daniel padded back into the living room hand-in-hand, devoid of all the anxiety that they had carried with them when they'd left the room. William glanced at Roslynn, who had a knowing look on her face. That's when it clicked in Will's brain. This was her doing.  
  
Perhaps she wasn't such a nuisance to have around after all.


	14. First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel and William are noticing some things about each other that they hadn't noticed before...

William was quite proud of Daniel. The boy had to have been very brave to have finally moved out of his Pop's home and get a job. As he sat on a stack of tires at the local mechanic's shop, he couldn't help but give a soft smile as he watched Daniel finish up working on a radiator. Look at that focus. Look at that workmanship.  
  
Most importantly, look at those _muscles_. Why hadn't William noticed them before! They flexed and bulged as his calloused hands worked, pushing here, pulling there, screwing that in and finally reaching way deep down to pull out... a sock?  
  
Daniel showed the garment to his coworker and they laughed. "Well that explains... a lot," the bearded man before him said with a laugh. As Daniel tossed the piece of cloth to his work buddy and turned to go tell his boss his shift was up, William's eyes followed those _muscles_ with a predatory look.  
  
 _Dayyyyyum._  
  
...  
  
Daniel was having trouble sitting still. No, he wasn't bored. He was glad to have gotten off of work early to come watch William's swim meet. He liked watching sports just as much as the next guy, so this was far more interesting than finding a sock tucked under a radiator. So no, boredom was not the issue.  
  
It was William. More specifically, it was William's uniform. Frick, did that even count as a uniform?? It was a damned _speedo_!  
  
Soooo, while William was focused on the water, Daniel was focused on dem _muscles_. Will was _not_ the scrawny kid that Daniel had assumed he was. He had plenty of lean sinew stretching over his arms, his stomach, his back...  
  
Yup. While William was thinking ' _swim_ ' all Daniel could muster was a primal, rudimentary...  
  
 _Dayyyyyum._  
  
...  
  
Roslynn had given up. These two were _not_ in a studying kind of mentality tonight. If she had a quarter for every innuendo that had whizzed past her face between these two dorks in the past hour or so, she'd buy herself dinner on her way home. As she stood, she caught the tail end of another exchange, though she'd been trying to tune them all out.  
  
Daniel gave a grumpy growl. "F*** you," he mumbled sullenly.  
  
William cackled and brought his voice to a low purr. "Sure. Here, or my room?"  
  
Daniel's head went down onto his textbook to hide the pink spreading over his cheeks as he let out a squeak. "WILLIAM!"  
  
"Yes, Daniel?"  
  
Roslynn rolled her eyes. "See you guys tomorrow."  
  
Daniel looked up at the girl and gave a nod as he stood. "I'll walk you to the door."  
  
"Okay."  
  
...  
  
From the moment their argument had begun, Daniel could see where this was going to end up. Even as he stood, he could feel William's gaze on him, eyeing him with that cursed mischievous glint in his green orbs. Daniel walked Roslynn to the door and closed it behind her, turning towards the rapid patter of bare feet on the floor just in time. He just barely caught William as the smaller male jumped into his arms, wrapping his legs around Daniel's waist and letting out a low chuckle as the force of the collision bumped Daniel's back against the door. Daniel let out a grunt, but did not offer up any words of protest. How _could_ he complain when William was so greedily ravishing his mouth like that? His lips worked in unison with William's, his breath coming out in gasps as his hands moved down to slip under William's shirt. This time it was Daniel's turn to chuckle as the lithe boy in his arms let out a little mewl.  
  
By the time they reached William's bed upstairs, William had allowed himself to be stripped of all but his boxers. His back hit the mattress and he pulled Daniel with him, purring as the male hovering above him peeled off his own shirt. As William fumbled with the Daniel's belt buckle, the larger male's lips went to his boyfriend's neck, causing William to arch his back with a gasp.  
  
"I love you," William groaned into the darkness.  
  
...  
  
The mattress shuddered as William's body fell to the sheets, trembling. His eyelids slid tiredly over his green orbs, urging him to succumb to the sleep that called to him so enticingly. A body gently settled down behind him onto the bed and an arm curled over him, pulling him close. Daniel gently pressed his lips against the side of William's head. "I love you," he murmured gently.  
  
William cracked open one eye to view Daniel's face. "You're not leaving right now, are you?"  
  
Daniel smiled. "Never."


	15. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William knows he can't keep Daniel a secret forever, but is there really any easy way to come out to your parents?

William was in no rush to get up this morning. It was a Saturday, and Roslynn wasn't coming over to study til at least 3 in the afternoon. He had all the time in the world to relax. He slowly began to wake up at his own leisurely pace, running his fingers over Daniel's muscular arm as he groggily viewed the bed through half-lidded eyes. He glanced down when his fingers hit a myriad of bumps on Daniel's skin, leading William to gently grasp Daniel's arm to lift the larger male's wrist into view.  
  
William gave a quiet gasp, breathing out Daniel's name with apparent surprise and an undertone of sadness. The skin was mottled with scars where it had been repeatedly sliced over time. This explained why his boyfriend was so fond of long sleeves. And maybe this was also why William's eating disorder hadn't scared Daniel off.  
  
Daniel's calloused fingers suddenly splayed and his hand pulled away as he awoke and realized what was happening. William sat up just enough to prop himself up on an elbow, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Daniel who lay behind him. A heavy silence came over the room as both parties tried to find words. William was not angry. His face held nothing but questions and concern while Daniel returned the stare with apprehension and slight panic.  
  
That's when a familiar gasp shattered the peace. William looked up at his open bedroom door just in time to catch sight of the fleeing form of his mother. "Mom?" He sat all the way up and called after her, but she did not reappear. He could hear her sobs echoing quietly down the hallway as she made her way towards the stairs, causing a wave of dread to fall over William. He stumbled out of bed and anxiously tore through his room in search for pants, finally finding some flannel pajama bottoms by his desk and sliding them on. As he ran out of his bedroom, he happened to glance back and see Daniel sitting up in bed with a deer in the headlights expression. Yup, that's pretty much how Will felt too.  
  
William followed the sound of his mother down to the living room. She had stopped in the middle of the room, her hands over her face and her shoulders shaking gently. William stopped at the bottom the staircase and beheld her with wide eyes and deep apprehension.  
  
"...Mom?"  
  
The woman gave a start and turned to look at her son. She possessed the same sharp green, Asian-esque eyes as William did. Her hair was a dark ginger, nearly burgundy but not quite. It was pulled up into a business-like bun that matched the professional air of her outfit. Her expression was bewildered and beseeching, as was her tone when she parted her thin lips to speak. "William... what have you done! Who _is_ that!"  
  
Guilt flashed over William's face upon hearing the tone in his mother's voice. He balefully rubbed his bare arm as he looked down at the floor. "That's... my boyfriend..."  
  
William flinched when his mother's tone turned angry. "Your _boyfriend_! Since when are you a homosexual!"  
  
"I-I'm not! He's the first!"  
  
"How could you!"  
  
It was William's turn to be angry now. "Is it really so bad? You weren't angry when you found me with Synthia last year! You just gave me some condoms and left me alone! Well, ma, where are my condoms?"  
  
Mrs. Rosewood bristled and jabbed a finger towards William as she strode closer. Her voice had raised to yelling now, her tone desperate and full of rage. "Don't even act like it's the same thing! This is _not_ the same thing!"  
  
"WELL WHY THE F*** NOT, MA!"  
  
The two fell silent then, each seething as they stared each other down. Finally, Mrs. Rosewood spoke up. "Why didn't you at least _tell_ me about him, William??"  
  
"YOU THINK I DIDN'T TRY?" William's cheeks were red with anger now as were his eyes which were turning moist. "I TRIED, Mom! You and dad think you can just call in every month or so and that makes you a part of my life! I tried once and you had some _meeting_ to dash off to again and that was enough for me! Mom, SO many things have happened to me this year and you don't even _know_! You never slowed down long enough for me to get past ' _How was your f***ing day_ '! So don't even act like I've been keeping secrets! You and Dad don't even c-care!" His voice broke at that last sentence and he fell silent, angrily wiping at the tear that fell down his cheek and looking away from his mother as he tried to focus on not breaking down right there.  
  
His mother's expression had changed now. She was shocked and she looked as though William's words had slapped her in the face with the hand of reality. What could she say? He was right. God, she wished he wasn't right! "...I'm sorry," came the quiet, guilt-laden voice of the woman. "You're right. I'm so sorry... I... Things will be different from now on. I promise."  
  
William looked surprised, but he relaxed a little bit and glanced towards the stairs. He kinda just awkwardly stood there for a second, unsure of what to do next. "Do... Do you want to meet him?"  
  
Mrs. Rosewood shook her head. "No. Not under these circumstances. Later, preferably when he's fully clothed."   
  
William blushed.  
  
"I'm going to go to the grocery store. We're out of... milk." William didn't bother telling his mother that there was definitely a full jug in the fridge. He could see what she was trying to do. Her absence would give Daniel time to comfortably leave. "We'll talk more when I get back. Okay?"  
  
"Okay." 


	16. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senior year couldn't last forever. Where does the couple go from here?

Knowing that Daniel was an introvert, William was not surprised to discover that he had disappeared in the middle of the party. Being "the Boyfriend" at Will's graduation party had to be pretty exhausting for Daniel. When his ebony-haired love did not return on his own, William excused himself from the throng to go search for the missing young man. He found him on the balcony, perched on a stool as he looked out over the neighborhood. William took a moment to simply stare. Daniel looked so at peace, immersed comfortably in his solitude.  
  
It's a good thing Will was there to send a bludgeon through said solitude, eh?  
  
Daniel gave a start when he felt lips press to his neck. William mischievously murmured his name and placed his hands on Daniel's shoulders, chuckling when Daniel tilted his head to the side with a contented sigh.  
  
"What are you doing out here, Daniel," William purred as he gently began to work his lips over the sensitive skin below Daniel's jaw.  
  
Daniel took a moment to gather some semblance of a sentence in his mind amidst the scattered thoughts that William had so painstakingly begun to disassemble. "I-I took a break from socializing."  
  
"Aw, and left me all alone?"  
  
"N-not alone now, a-are you?" Daniel's hands gripped the edges of the stool as a soft moan slipped past his barriers and left his mouth.  
  
It was then that William decided to lift his face away from Daniel's neck and rest it on the young man's shoulder. Daniel swallowed roughly and kept his eyes on the view of the neighborhood as he tried his best to calm down. "So," William began, "what happens now?"  
  
Daniel's bi-colored eyes briefly glanced to William. "What do you mean?"  
  
"We're graduating. We're leaving highschool. Where do we go from here?"  
  
Daniel felt his stomach drop. They weren't going to part ways now, were they? "Where do we go? Um... we're going to the same places, right?"  
  
William rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Duh. You can't expect me to let you get away now, can you?" Daniel visibly relaxed. "But careers and stuff. What do you want to do?"  
  
Daniel shrugged. "I dunno. I kinda always thought being a writer would be fun." He tensed again as he felt William nuzzle his neck.  
  
"A writer? That's not a well-paying job at all."  
  
"J.K. Rowling is richer than the queen of England."  
  
"I suppose she is."  
  
Daniel could feel William's breath brushing against his neck, but he continued conversing as best he could. "What about you?" He flinched and let out another moan as William gently bit down on the skin. "You'd b-better not leave any marks," he stammered as his eyes slid closed.  
  
William snickered into Daniel's neck. "Don't worry," he purred with amusement, "I won't." He continued speaking, pausing every few words to plant another kiss on Daniel's neck. "I used to *kiss* want to be *kiss* a lawyer..." Daniel made a noise of disapproval at this idea and William could not tell if the shudder that followed was from the career idea or the necking. "But now, I've been thinking of cooking for a living. Like a gourmet chef or something."  
  
Daniel gave a nod. "I like that idea much be- ah!" He tensed again as William's teeth scraped along his skin once more. With a growl, Daniel turned and reached behind him, yanking William around and pulling him into a hungry kiss. As he broke away, William gave a soft laugh.  
  
"Look at you, all thirsty and primal. You do realize we're at a party, right?" He laughed again while Daniel let out another growl.  
  
"You f***ing tease." He held William tight as he stole another kiss, venting the hunger that William had created until William began to squirm under the attention.

Together, the two of them sat on the wooden floor of the deck, curled up together in a content silence. William's fingers absently explored the scarred expanse of Daniel's wrist as they sat. He was still getting use to knowing those were there, but Daniel was patient, if not somewhat ashamed and embarrassed. He had been reassured time and time again that the marks changed nothing- William insisted that Daniel was just the unlucky one of the pair to have acquired a vice that showed on the outside. "If eating disorders made marks too," he had insisted before, "my arms would look just like yours." At least Daniel didn't have to hide them anymore.  
  
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, William spoke. "Daniel?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
William's fingertips lifted from Daniel's wrist so that the whole hand could cover the area as a sort of impromptu human bandaid. He lifted his green gaze to regard those blue and amber eyes with a questioning look. "What if we were to marry, Daniel?"  
  
Daniel looked down at the young man in his arms, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Do you have a ring?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
"Can I say yes right now anyway?"  
  
"You may."  
  
"Then yes. A thousand times yes."

 (End)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ever so much for reading all the way to end!  
> Please be sure to drop a comment on here so I can thank you for your valuable time. 
> 
> Also, any advice on what went well and what didn't go well with my writing style would be much appreciated.
> 
> Don't let the dates fool you. This story was written over a period of about a year, but I do not have access to the exact dates that each chapter was written on. I took many breaks in between and it was around chapter 13 that I thought I was ditching the story completely. This piece was a good lesson for me: Persistence! It gets shiz done!
> 
> Thanks again! Have a nice day :)


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